Recently in NFC Category

NFC Mobile Phone Trial on SF BART in Jack in the Box Successful

BART riders took part in a trial held in San Francisco's BART used their contactless, Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled phones to pay for their BART fares and meals at participating Jack in the Box restaurants. The trial is deemed a success.

The results of the test from Jan. 28 to May 30, 2008 show that participants at BART stations frequently tapped smart advertisements in BART stations with their NFC phones. These posters contained directions to nearby Jack in the Box restaurants.

During the trial, participants tapped their phones several hundred times on NFC-enabled smart posters located throughout the BART terminal to obtain directions to the nearest Jack in the Box restaurant from the BART station.

"The BART trial results show that transit payment is a killer application for NFC mobile phones providing convenience and speed to customers who take transit and other public transportation frequently," said Michael Mullagh, ViVOtech CEO. "We are also encouraged to see that merchant card payments and opt-in smart poster applications enabled by ViVOtech software through the same NFC mobile phone were also highly used by the trial participants."

Nokia's First NFC Phone Available in Germany

nokiawhite.jpgThe world’s first fully integrated, commercial NFC handset, the Nokia 6131 NFC phone will be available in Germany on March 3.

 
Featuring the same slim folding lines and outstanding features, the Nokia 6131 NFC handset includes Near Field Communications (NFC) technology to enable information sharing, service initiation and payment & ticketing capability with one tap of the device. Used in much the same way as existing contactless cards and keytags to allow access and make small payments, the addition of NFC technology to a full featured mobile device adds an entirely new level of capability by leveraging the phone’s computing power, wireless Internet access and user interface.
 
Unlike a simple card or keytag, which only allows for one-way communication, an NFC-enabled mobile phone allows users to realize the benefits of a fully interactive experience.  For example, touching an NFC-enabled advertising poster or informational kiosk can automatically link the user to interactive Internet based information, open an audio file, or download new content directly to the handset. Additionally, an extra layer of security is enabled when making contactless payments since the handset can be set to allow payment information only when the user expressly authorizes the transaction via a password, unlike a card or tag, which can be used by whoever has it in their possession.
 

BenQ NFC-Enabled Smartphone - T80

t80.jpgBenQ showcased its T80, the latest next-generation NFC (Near Field Communications) smartphone, at this year’s Mobile World Congress. Not only does T80 feature all the capabilities of a smartphone, it is also an all-in-one device that users can carry to pay for transportation or access private security systems at home.

BenQ collaborated with Taipei Smart Card Corporation, the operator of Taiwan’s first integrated contactless transport card initiative, to embed NFC technology into T80, making applications such as electronic ticketing for public transportation, parking payment and adding or checking account value possible. T80 can also be configured to access private security systems for homes.

BenQ T80 is the world’s first NFC-enabled smartphone to feature Windows Mobile 6 operating system. T80 is also the world’s first NFC-enabled phone to feature dual storage options for NFC data, meaning that users can either store transaction or security data on the microSD card or on the SIM card, providing convenience and portability when users change to another NFC-enabled phone. T80 also supports Chunghwa Telecom’s Combi SIM card, the world’s first SIM card to provide highly secure e-wallet services with a massive memory to keep transaction records and other application service content. Chunghwa Telecom is Taiwan’s largest integrated telecommunication operator.

T80 has a 2.2-inch screen and houses a 3.0 mega pixel built-in camera. Users can time automatic wallpaper changes according to their preferences. It is also DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance)-compliant, meaning that it can be integrated into a family’s DLNA-compliant home entertainment system and be used as a remote control for any other DLNA-compliant devices.

The phone will be tested in Taiwan, next month.

NFC from Gemalto in Taiwan

gemalto.jpgGemalto, the world leader in digital security, today announces that it has been chosen by Taiwan Mobile, Taiwan’s leading telecommunication service provider, to provide the world’s first commercial NFC (Near Field Communication) SIM-based mobile contactless system. It is designed to remotely manage the life-cycle of any type of contactless service within a mobile phone environment, especially payment applications that mandate high security levels.

After multiple mobile contactless trials in Asia and in the rest of the world and through its experience in the telecommunications, transport and financial sectors, Gemalto successfully developed a secure solution fulfilling the specific needs of its partners and end-users. It will allow Taiwan Mobile to register, issue, manage and terminate mobile NFC services over-the-air (OTA).

Taiwan Mobile’s subscribers will be free to securely purchase goods, top-up their transport pass and proceed to coupons management just by using their mobile phone in a contactless mode. As most people always keep this personal device with them, the mobile contactless technology clearly brings them more freedom and convenience.

This comprehensive solution will be commercially rolled out nation-wide during 2008. It will enable banks, transport companies and other service providers to incorporate their services onto a mobile environment. This will complete Taiwan’s contactless experience along with previous commercial launches for payment and transport.

Winning NFC Apps Encourage Exercise, Track Vehicles & RX

innovision.jpg

Innovision Research & Technology, developer of the Near Field Communication (NFC) standard number one tag type, Topaz has announced the winners of its NFC Innovation Awards, the first UK-based competition to find the most innovative applications of NFC tags for the everyday mobile handset user. Winners included NFC tracking for “green exericse”, vehicle identification, and perscriptions.

Health Buddy

There were two joint winners. One was ‘Health Buddy’ from the Lancaster University team of Paul Coulton, Omer Rashid and William Bird. This uses NFC to encourage outdoor physical activity or ‘green exercise’, as a way of combating the increasingly sedentary lifestyle of the UK population. Health Buddy tracks the activity and progress of a user on a set exercise course, triggered each time the user scans an NFC tag at specific locations with an NFC-enabled phone. The location information provided by the NFC tags is linked to pre-calculated calorie-burning, timing and effort data for various physical activities, which could include walking, running and cycling. As well as providing an instant motivator during exercise, Health Buddy provides a historical view of activity, including distances covered and energy consumed.


NFC Named 1 of 5 Top Technologies for 2008 by BBC @ CES

NFCForum.jpgThe NFC Forum (www.nfc-forum.org), a non-profit industry association that advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, today announced that “Click,” the BBC’s flagship technology program, has chosen NFC as one of its five top technologies for 2008.

BBC News selected the five technologies from the hundreds of consumer products and technologies on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) International in Las Vegas last week.

Near Field Communication (NFC) is a standards-based, short-range wireless connectivity technology that enables simple and safe two-way interactions between electronic devices. NFC technology allows consumers to perform contactless transactions, access digital content and connect devices with the simplicity of a single touch. NFC technology provides global interoperability of contactless identification and interconnection technologies.

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